Supreme Court Cases I need to know

Supreme Court Cases to Know

1. Engel v. Vitale (1962)

   • Public schools cannot sponsor prayer (Establishment Clause).

2. Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

   • Students retain freedom of speech (symbolic armbands) in public schools.

3. Schenck v. U.S. (1919)

   • Speech can be restricted if it poses a “clear and present danger.”

4. Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

   • States must provide an attorney to criminal defendants who cannot afford one.

5. New York Times Co. v. U.S. (1971)

   • Limited government’s ability to use prior restraint (Pentagon Papers).

6. Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

   • Overturned Plessy v. Ferguson; ended legal school segregation.

7. Roe v. Wade (1973)

   • Recognized a woman’s right to privacy in the context of abortion (later impacted by Dobbs).

8. McDonald v. Chicago (2010)

   • Incorporated the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms to the states.

9. Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)

   • Compulsory education laws cannot infringe on the free exercise of religion (Amish schooling).

• Plessy v. Ferguson (1896): Established “separate but equal”; overturned by Brown.

• Obergefell v. Hodges (2015): Legalized same-sex marriage nationwide under the 14th Amendment.

• Miranda v. Arizona (1966): Established Miranda Rights for criminal suspects.

• Loving v. Virginia (1967): Struck down laws banning interracial marriage.

• Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health (2022): Overturned Roe v. Wade, shifting abortion regulation to states.

• Morse v. Frederick (2007): Schools can restrict student speech promoting illegal drug use.

• Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier (1988): Schools can limit certain school-sponsored student speech.

• Kennedy v. Bremerton School District (2022): Allowed post-game prayer by a public school coach.

• Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978): Affirmative action is permissible, but strict racial quotas are unconstitutional.